Diamond No Ace: The Strongest Hitter

Chapter 86: No Regrets!

"I'm sorry! I'm really, really sorry, everyone! Sen-chan worked so hard to get us a run, and I ruined it! And now I let them advance to second and third base! I'm so sorry!" Takada stammered, tears welling up in his eyes, his words barely coherent.

"What are you saying, Takada? It's just a game," Sendo said, throwing an arm around him in a reassuring gesture.

"I've told you before—just do what you can. We're not saviors. We're a team, and we need to work together like a pack of wolves, united and in sync!"

"No one wants to make an error. Shake it off! If you let this mistake lead to even bigger ones, then it becomes your fault. But this? This is nothing. You baka!" Sendo's tone was firm but comforting, slowly calming Takada down.

"Right!"

"Stop crying! It's gross! All you need to do is focus and bounce back—you're an essential part of this team!"

"And did you notice? The opposing batter hit a fast ground ball on purpose. That shows they're scared—scared they can't get a solid hit, so they resorted to that."

"Those balls aren't even hard to handle. The real problem is the pressure you're putting on yourself. Understand?" Sendo released Takada and gave him a light tap on the chest with his gloved hand.

"I understand now!" Takada's eyes shone with renewed determination.

"You're okay, right?" Sendo turned to Sawamura.

"Of course! This is nothing!"

"Your eyes are already twitching like a cat's! And don't talk like an old lady with a shaky voice!"

"Shut up! Just get back to your position!"

"No matter how this ends, I'm proud of all of you!" Sendo shouted as he jogged back, leaving those words behind.

"Even the sharp-tongued Sen-chan said that! Let's give it everything we've got, team!" Ohno rallied the group.

"Yeah!"

"Hmph!" Sendo heard their cheers and smirked, not bothering to look back.

...

"No need to hold back—take them head-on!"

"Strike!"

Crack!

"This time, I won't make a mistake! I just need to focus on what I've trained for!" Takada centered his thoughts on the ball, his teammates, and the runners' positions, executing the play smoothly.

Thud!

"Out! Switch sides!"

"Yes!"

"Takada actually shouted out loud! Haha!"

Sendo raised his right hand in celebration.

...

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Akagi started with the 9th batter. Shin attempted a surprise bunt but failed, getting retired. This brought up the top of the lineup in the third rotation.

Sendo instructed the team to aim for fastballs. With Ozawa's stamina rapidly depleting, her pitch quality dropped significantly, allowing the first and second batters to land consecutive hits.

The third batter, Kondou, without Sendo's direction, coordinated with his teammate for a surprise bunt. The move worked, with a fake steal by the runner on third helping Kondou successfully reach base.

"Sen-chan! We may not be heroes."

"But... but we can build the stage for our hero!" Kondou shouted as he sprinted to first base. The runners on base felt a rare unity.

"Awooooooo!!!"

After reaching base, Kondou cupped his hands around his mouth and let out a wolf howl, releasing all the game's tension in one go.

The other players on base followed suit, their howls echoing across the field.

At that moment, everyone on base had one thought:

"Go, Sen-chan! HERO!"

"The stage is set—it's time for the hero to take the spotlight!"

"Awooooooo!!!" Sawamura joined in with an enthusiastic howl.

"Awooooooo!!!" The bench players, except for Wakana, responded in kind, turning Akagi into a pack of wolves howling together.

"Awooooooo!!!" Even the spectators from Tokumei, watching from the stands, joined in the fun.

"One out, bases loaded! And stepping up to the plate—Sendo Akira, the cleanup hitter who's already smashed two extra-base hits today!"

"They're willing to give up a likely run just to avoid intentionally walking Sendo?"

"Are they content to let the hero steal the show?"

"In this situation, he truly has the power to end the game with a single swing."

"There's only one out right now. Even if they intentionally walk him and give up a run, the batters after him might still drive in another run."

"Are they going to hand them two runs to avoid a potential extra-base hit, or are they going to face him head-on?" Coach Yashiro muttered, his words faltering as he assessed the situation.

"These guys... are they serious? They really think they're wolves now!" Sendo said with an amused grin.

"At a time like this, not rising to their expectations wouldn't be manly. If they don't walk me, then..."

Meanwhile, Coach Mitani was wrestling with a tough decision. His ace was already on the brink of exhaustion, and he could practically hear his own heartbeat pounding in his chest.

"This is just a practice game. Letting the players make their own choices will be the most valuable experience for them. Interfering now might leave them with regrets for a lifetime."

With that thought, amidst the howling chorus from the field, Coach Mitani stood up and signaled to his team.

"They're letting us decide?"

"Don't leave any regrets! No matter what you choose, I'll support you! Go for it!" Mitani shouted, addressing his players' doubts.

"What should we do, Ozawa?"

"Let's fight him. No matter the outcome, I'll accept it. I have a feeling that if I avoid this now, I'll regret it for the rest of my life."

"Then that's what we'll do! We're partners—there's no way I'd let you face this alone!"

"Captain!"

"You remember I'm the captain, huh? Since you've decided to face him, how do you want to pitch?"

"Stick with the previous strategy. He likes chasing bad pitches, right? I'll give him as many as he wants. And if he doesn't swing, giving up one run isn't the end of the world."

"You seem clear-headed, so I'm not worried anymore," the catcher said, patting Ozawa lightly on the chest.

At any other time, Sendo might have sarcastically thought, Just let me take care of it. But right now, even he wasn't in the mood for such trivial thoughts.

"You know, it's fine to just walk me," Sendo teased as he stepped into the batter's box, addressing the catcher who had just crouched into position.

"..."

The catcher ignored him.

"Ah, I see how it is," Sendo thought to himself.

Crack!

"Ball!"

"The first pitch was a breaking ball, but it missed the mark by quite a bit. Are they planning to walk him after all?" speculated one of the spectators from Tokumei.

Ping!

"Foul ball!"

"Back-to-back outside pitches, huh?"

For the third pitch:

"Hmm?"

"Got it! With this speed differential, he won't be able to catch up! Now, for the next pitch..."

PING!

"You've got to be kidding me!

After two fastballs, he crushed the slower curveball? Did he predict it? No, he didn't even aim for the ball! Then... why?"

"Why is the game over before the decisive pitch?"

The pitcher and catcher stood frozen in place. The catcher silently closed her eyes, her thoughts running wild.

"It's in! Two home runs in consecutive at-bats! This one... it's a grand slam!"

For a moment, the entire field fell silent, as if someone had hit the mute button.

The Akagi bench erupted, mouths wide open as they shouted words lost to the noise.

The runners on base celebrated as they rounded the diamond, acting as though they were the ones who had hit the home run.

Even Sano had completely lost his composure, his heart racing with the team's highs and lows for what felt like the umpteenth time today.

...

"Line up!"

"Thank you for the match!"

Clap clap clap!

As the game concluded, everyone applauded. Sakura Girls's team never gave up until the very end. Even after Ozawa gave up the grand slam, her fighting spirit remained strong, but Sendou's four-run homer was just too devastating.

The final score was 6–1. However, no one focused on the numbers.

The emotional impact of the game left both teams and the audience deeply moved.

After the game, players from both teams lingered to chat and share their thoughts.

"You're Sendo Akira, right?"

"Huh? Ozawa-san!"

"Don't think I'll ever forget how you looked down on me today! Just you wait—I'll settle this score someday!" Ozawa declared before abruptly turning and walking away.

"Wait, looked down? What does that even mean? What did I do? I don't even know what's going on! Did I just get hated by a pretty girl? And for what?!" Sendo stood there dumbfounded, unable to get a word in before she walked off.

"Hey, you made a beautiful lady cry today, you know!" Ozawa's catcher partner teased from behind him.

"Huh?"

"But you played really well today. That was an amazing game—I thoroughly enjoyed it! See you next time, Sendo-kun!" the catcher said before leaving as well.

"Hey! Can't you at least let me explain?! What's with these people?" Sendou ranted, throwing up his hands in frustration. "They're as headstrong as men but even more dramatic! Why are they just like…" His voice trailed off as he glanced at Sawamura and then slumped into his own sulking mood.

He couldn't complain to anyone, knowing his teammates would only tease him. "I can already hear them saying, 'Didn't expect you to get put in your place, huh?' No way. I'm not telling anyone about this!" Sendo shivered at the thought, silently resolving to keep this incident to himself.

"That was a great game. They'll only grow stronger after this!" Coach Mitani approached Sendoul, extending a hand.

"Thank you for the opportunity. We learned so much from this match against such a high-level team," Sendo replied, shaking hands.

"Let's play again sometime! Next time, I won't force you to play, though. By the way, Coach Nakani was right—you're a monster! It was incredible to see it firsthand today."

"Coach Nakani? You know him?"

"Yeah, he's been a great mentor to me. I saw two amazing players in East Tokyo before, but today, I finally realized what a true monster looks like!"

"Two amazing players?"

"Yeah, both incredibly talented. They're just two years older than you but already famous across Tokyo, even nationally. They're still in middle school, but most high school players can't compare to them!"

"Really? What are their names? I'm interested."

"One's a pitcher named Zaizen Naoyuki, and the other's a catcher named Takigawa Chris Yuu. They're not on the same team, though—if they were, no one else would stand a chance. Their combined talent is almost on par with yours. The difference is your inexperience and… well…"

"My poor technique. Yeah, I know," Sendo admitted, unfazed.

"Since you've exchanged contact information, let's organize another practice game next year!"

"Thank you so much for today!" Sendo said as he boarded the bus with his team.

Coach Mitani gazed at the sky. "I can't wait. Someday, Sendo will face all the top players. No, it's not just someday—it will definitely happen!"

...

"That was such a great match! But I'm exhausted!"

"We learned a lot, though!"

"Hey, Sendo, why don't you just join us and play baseball full-time?"

"I refuse."

"Why not? Isn't it fun playing with everyone?"

"Tch, don't talk about me. By the way, I helped you all with batting practice for a few days! That pitcher wasn't as fast as me, right? Why did it take you three rounds to hit properly? And even then, it was so sloppy!" Sendo snapped, pouring cold water on the conversation.

"You jerk! You only threw a few pitches! Try throwing a few hundred and then talk!"

"You should adapt to the speed in just a few pitches, right? Hmph."

"Don't compare us to a freak like you!" everyone secretly thought to themselves.

"Whatever. Looks like you'll just have to grow at your own pace." Sendo pulled his jacket over himself and drifted off to sleep.

Exhausted, the others gradually fell silent and dozed off as well.

...

After the game, Sendo canceled training for the day, letting everyone rest up for tomorrow's match.

Whether the opponents were strong or weak, constant games were the fastest way for his teammates, who had average talent, to accumulate experience and grow.

Even though advancing to the nationals seemed challenging, they were determined to grow stronger together.

...

"Wow! So you beat Sakura Girls's University? And 6–1 at that?"

"That's right, but honestly, those guys didn't really stand a chance. All the runs were scored by me anyway!"

"Didn't you say they gave up chances to score just to face you?"

"They might not have scored anyway."

"Hmm, I'd love to see what it's like to play a game."

"Forget it."

"Isn't it great to play with everyone? Even Sawamura loves it!"

"Well… hey, Fumino!"

"Hm? What?"

"Are you still an A cup? Shouldn't you see a doctor about malnutrition or something?"

"...WHAT?!"

"Sendo Akira!!!" Fumino erupted in fury, while Sendo responded with a mischievous smirk, driving her further into a rage.

"Wait! How do you even know I'm an A cup?"

"Uh… um…"

"Unbelievable! You pervert!"

"There's nothing on you worth looking at!"

"...!"

"Hey, Fumino?"

…!

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